


Maybe we're just sleepwalking

by writingisacurse



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: AU, Crime, F/M, M/M, Nostalgia, There isn't that much Gav/Geoff, Uhh so, Violence, and there's ray/joel ya, gta v - Freeform, gta verse, i'M SORRY I'LL TRY TO WRITE MORE SOON, i'm a sucker for that ship man, multi-chapter, probably sad things, so ya, there's something that happens in later chapters that does't actually happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-27
Updated: 2014-03-17
Packaged: 2018-01-10 05:45:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1155810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingisacurse/pseuds/writingisacurse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sound of a gunshot never really leaves you. The splatter of blood on pavement. Harsh shouts and frost-filled mornings. Those mornings the gunshots were the loudest. One would figure such a life would leave you broken and scarred. But for Geoff Ramsey, its a disappearance that has nearly drove him to the finish line of the race he (and some other professionals) like to call "Alcoholism". So its only time he jumps right back into the life of blood splatters and gunshots.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ain't no rest for the wicked (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> I feel really good about this one, like it was insanely fun to write plans and shit for, I'd say if I actually finish this to expect 30/40 chapters, no promises though, anyways this is gonna waver between POV's but mostly stay at Geoff. My friend Stacey, whom you can find at the URL of hispanlcatthedisco, helped with a lot of details god bless her soul, anyhow, enjoy!

Geoff leaned back in his computer chair, the sound of Disney channel in the living room drifting through the walls, the number typed into his phone waiting to be called all too tempting.

But Griffon would unleash hell. She made him promise to leave that life, turn his back on it and leave those people who had been like his family, and Geoff did it too. At least for the most part.  
He deleted all of them from his life, almost all of them, there was one he didn't manage to shake and that was his assistant Kerry, but Kerry had never been forwardly involved in his jobs before, just on the sidelines, so Griff allowed it.

That didn't mean Geoff didn't think of them though. He wasn't worried about Patillo, he probably left the life after he updated his facebook relationship status to 'married'. She was an Australian girl, Geoff couldn't recall her name, just that she looked like she would take good care of Jack.

Ryan didn't need worrying about either, his father owned a farm outside of Vinewood in the hills, he'd probably go back there with his family, he had two kids now, if Geoff recalled Kerry telling him correctly, he had a good family and an equally good life.

It was the lads he worried for, Michael, Ray, Gav. Not so much Michael, if Geoff recalled Michael had been fairly independent, although young, when he had known him, never actually stole anything directly, he was the getaway man, gunned down a few cops in his day sure, but nothing like Geoff had done in his own past. 

Ray was a bit more worrisome. Ray had little family, no immediate romantic interests, and a knack for shoplifting, he lived in Sandyshores, easy pickings, quite life, just right for Ray, but the kid was just that-a kid. He had almost no experience other than the jobs he pulled with the old crew, it wouldn't take much to get him caught.

And Gav. Gavin Free. Geoff could still see the fall of his face, the drop in the normally cheerful eyes as he had to tell the kid he was on his own now. Gav was from the UK, he had no way back there and even less family to even have a reason to go back. He lived with Geoff for most of his teenage years, he didn't do well on his own. 

Geoff always thought of Gavin, what he was doing, if he was even still alive. Gavin was the only one Kerry couldn't find anything on, everybody else he could track, but not Gavin. Some days Geoff had worried Gav was dead, and Kerry just didn't have the heart to tell him. 

Geoff stopped thinking like that when Mille and Griffon demanded he stop being such a "Damn Alcoholic". They worried too much, it wasn't the alcohol driving him half mad after all, it was their god damn rules and restrictions on what he could and couldn't do with his life.

Geoff tried his hardest to not blame them that they lived in a house they could barely afford in a neighborhood that was too good for them, he did love them after all. They were lucky for now, but soon the bills would catch up, and the blame game would start, and begin with the phrase "If you were more...." and take off from there.

"Daddy!" Mille called from the living room, the sounds of the tv silenced. "Daddy the TV stopped working!" Geoff let out a sigh and pressed back on his phone, the 7 digit number disappearing, so close. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Geoff fixed the TV, a simple matter of a cord being in the wrong place, he told Griffon he was going out. She asked where of course, she always asked where. "Beers with Kerry" he lied through his teeth, and watched as Griffen nodded and made him promise he'd be home for supper. 

Ah, well some promises were meant to be broken after all. And it wasn't a complete lie, he tried to tell himself as the car doors clicked unlocked, it was going to visit Kerry, they just weren't going out for beers. 

It had been driving him crazy lately, the old crew, the old heists, everything. All he had to tie back to anything that had gone on 7 years ago was Kerry, and if you've spent an afternoon with a drunken Kerry, you'd know that it wasn't much. 

So Geoff was going to do something about it, sure Griffon was going to strangle him in his sleep, and sure Mille would look at him with those big eyes and wonder why her daddy was the way he was, but man he needed them back. 

It was either that or slip back into the darkness that was called too much beer and reality television, Geoff would kill any number of people to not slide down that slippery slope again. 

The drive to Kerry's was mindless, there was nothing but car horns, the shitty radio and lights, then he was there, standing outside the doorstep and listening to the voices inside. Man would Kerry kill him for intruding on whatever was going on.  
But whatever this feeling was, whether it be spur of the moment or Nostalgia, something had to be done about it, even if that meant Kerry's face turning red and his words bitter and stiff for a couple hours. 

So Geoff knocked and listened as the voices stopped and then resumed as Kerry excused himself, a second later the door opened. There was Kerry, blonde hair all tousled up and his red shirt buttoned up all the way, what a fucking kid, Geoff thought as it took a second for Kerry to recognize his boss and then have annoyance settle in his features. 

"What is it?" He asked, his tone dropping as the voices behind him started to quite down with curiosity. 

Geoff sighed, running a hand through his slowly receding hairline "I'm so sorry to intrude, on whatever it is you've got going on, but I just lied to Griffon and Mille for this, and I need you buddy" 

Kerry looked as if any minute he was going to whip about a butchers knife and flay Geoff alive, but instead he let out a long sigh and held up a hand to excuse himself for a second. 

"Sorry guys, boss came round' got some work to do" Geoff could hear Kerry say in a monotone-kill-me-now-voice. 

There was a chorus of "Aww's" and "Ugh's" but Geoff paid them no mind as a couple young girls brushed past him, jackets slung over their arms and phones held up to their ears, he really hadn't meant to strand them without a ride home, but he was a selfish man, and this meant more than a couple cold girls ever would.

Once Geoff was inside he stepped out of his shoes and slung his own coat over Kerry's staircase railing, then followed the annoyed looking kid into the living room, where he plopped down on the sofa. 

"What are you doing here Geoff" Kerry asked, sitting himself down across from his boss. 

"I need" Geoff's voice broke momentarily as he tried to compose himself "I need everything you got Kerry, all the info, on all the guys, everything, and everyone, no skipping out on me alright? I need to know when they went to the grocery store last, where the last went out to dinner, who they're staying with and where it is, phone numbers, email addresses, house numbers, anything and everything" 

Kerry looked a bit overwhelmed if truth be told, sure the kid was good, but was he that good? Geoff knew he was, Kerry never failed him, or at least, until it came to-

"What about Gavin?" 

Gavin. Kerry failed him then, all the time in fact, because nothing had been found on the lad since Geoff left him 7 years and 4 months ago, he wasn't sure of the day and week count, didn't want to seem like a helpless teenage girl counting the days she's been with her boyfriend. 

"Find me something Kerry" He pleaded "Anything, I don't care, security cam photo's, activity in his relatives, give me something to work with" 

Kerry sighed and put his head in his heads, then said something Geoff couldn't hear.  
"What was that?" He asked, grinning slightly. 

Kerry lifted his head and said a simple "Fuck you", then proceeded to promise he'd find everything he could if Geoff left that very second, which he did. 

The whole visit took him an hour. 40 minutes to get to Kerry's, 20 minutes discussion. The drive back took 40 minutes again. 

It only took Griffon 2 seconds to hear the door click open then shut and then realize Geoff was half an hour late for dinner.


	2. Dead men walking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm sorry this took a couple days, I was in the middle of midterm week, but I have an extra long weekend now so tons of time to update! Also sorry for the shortness, in the next few chapters Ryan and Ray are gonna be introduced, and then there's a chapter with Michael and Gav that is probably going to be the best one yet.

It was a whole fucking week before Kerry rang in.

Griffon had been simply fuming with him, not for missing dinner, that had just earned him hard stares and sighs of disappointment, for drinking again.

It had been hard to stop in the first place, even with the guys off his mind, but now when he was anxious, waiting for news that could tell him either good or bad things? Being sober wasn't the best looking option for Geoff.

So when Kerry did call, Geoff, who was asleep on the sofa, basically tore across the room to get to his phone and press answer.

"Yeah Geoff" Kerry's voice sounded through the speaker, sirens and car horns in the background.

"Yes Kerry, tell me you have something" Geoff was basically on his hands and knees in front of the kid now, he needed something, fuck knows he couldn't go another two weeks like this.

"Alright, get ready and maybe grab a pen, this is gonna be a long list" Kerry sounded exasperated, but Geoff didn't care about what mental state he had put Kerry in over the past week or so, he needed details and he needed them now.

So he grabbed a pen and countless sticky notes and sat down at his desk, an empty bottle of whiskey regarding him tauntingly.

"Alright, give it to me K"

"Right," Kerry started "So we got Jack, cell number is 897-4453, he lives up in Paleto Bay, wife no kids, still owns all those properties, still as rich, not much going on there although he does have a painting in his house that not even Brad Pitt could afford, so something's up"

Geoff jotted down details, _897-4453, Paleto Bay, wife, painting_. Not much to go on, but enough, Jack could be found pretty easily.

"Next up Ryan, cell number couldn't be found but he's staying at his fathers farm for the summer, I don't know the location, but you do so that isn't a problem. Two kids, wife, same as when you last checked up, no activity, really"

_Farm, wife, kids_. Ryan would be harder to convince back into the life, just as hard as he was easy to find.

"Michael" Kerry paused "Michael isn't even in los santos anymore, he's back in Jersey, but I have his cell number, 672-3462, and he's not living with anybody, he's been charged with a few speeding tickets over the past 4 years and owns a chrome adder, he couldn't afford that working at a k-mart, so he's been busy over the past few years, no signs of a crew though, but then again Michael only worked with you guys because he loved you all"

_Jersey, 672-3462, speed tickets, no crew, k-mart_. Michael would be hard to find and access, but if Geoff remembered how much Michael loved them all, he could be suckered back in.

"Next up for grabs, Ray, same as before, but he did 6 months community service for shoplifting back in 09, quite life, for the most part, no family, no apparent friends, small and shitty apartment, Sandyshores"

_Community service, no family/friends, sandyshores._ Ray would probably jump into their arms with even being told to, Ray, Geoff was certain would be back in for sure.

"Alright, Geoff, buddy I gotta go, I'll call you later, phone's gonna die, bus is almost here see-"

Geoff didn't miss it. How could he? Seven years the kid was all he ever thought about and Kerry just figured he'd let it go like it was nothing? 

"Kerry" Geoff said, standing up and abandoning his post its "If you hang up this phone, I swear to go I will find you and gut you, you hear kid?"

"Geoff please, I didn't find-"

"Bullshit" Geoff snarled, "You always find something"

Kerry let out a long sigh " _243-7779_ " he muttered, and then hung up.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took everything not to punch those numbers into the phone after Kerry hung up.  Geoff's mind was basically begging him to call that number, _it would be quick, effortless, just dial the number_.

But he didn't, instead, Geoff got Jack's information, wrote a note to Mille and Griff, who were at work and school, and grabbed his coat and keys. This time it wouldn't be to end up on Kerrys doorstep half mad with nostalgia.

He was going to find Jack.

The drive there was  torturously long, Geoff swore he hit every red light from there to Blaine County, every single one until he was finally on the free way, going so fast it made him pray no cops decided to cruise by.

If he had a dollar, for every time he passed an annoyed looking tourist, he'd have enough to pay off his house and send Mille to university, not that Geoff even cared about the glares they'd give him or the honks he got, he was doing this, actually doing it.

He had tried before, without Kerry, tried to track down the guys, hell he ended up drunk on Ryan's doorstep and was about to knock when he heard his former crew member laughing with his wife and kids.

Geoff figured that ought to have been him, Mille and Griffon, but instead he was out in the rain, literally feet away from Ryan, but didn't have the nerve to actually knock on the door.

God that had been one awful night, but this time, this time he would do it, it was Jack after all, they used to be almost as close as Michael and Ray were back in the day.

_I can do this._

  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there he was, feeling deja vu from 5 years ago, standing outside a former friends out, the rain and wind beating at him, and absolutely no balls to knock.

Geoff couldn't say how long he stood there, just that he was absolutely freezing, and that there was dead silence save the sound of family feud in Jack's cabin.

Fucking cabin of all things, first off. Jack had buttloads of money, guy could afford to house himself in a mansion, but a log cabin 15 minutes away from the nearest gas station was where he was holed up.

Geoff never did knock after, but about an hour later he found himself seated on Jack's sofa, the other man looking like he was about to commit homicide, and Geoff was going to be his first victim.

His wife had gone to her friends house once Jack explained it was a work thing and she probably wouldn't want to be around, she had protested, obviously and Jack told her if she wanted to stay, she'd have to meet "him"

She had left after that, probably wanting nothing to do with Geoff and his haggled state. Now him and Jack were face to face and Geoff found himself unable to meet his friend's eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing here" Jack asked after about 10 minutes of uncomfortable silence, mostly for Geoff, Jack was having the time of his life staring his former employer down like he was about to whip out the shotgun.

"Or, better yet, how are you here?" Jack asked again, pulling at his beard while he continued to stare at Geoff, who finally met his gaze.

"Wasn't that hard, got your details, put some gas in the car, drove about 3 hours, really Jack" Geoff said, feeling the attitude that Jack had always laughed at seep through his normally sullen personality.

"Geoff" Jack muttered squeezing his eyes shut "I mean how did you come back from the _dead_?"


	3. The loophole guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uggh I know I was supposed to update this last weekend but I got distracted and such, I'm gonna be pretty busy with, fuckin' math of all things, these next 4 months, so bear with me on chapter updates, k? I'm gonna take a stretch and say probably a chapter a week, maybe more, maybe less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping this one's longer than the previous two, I hated the length of the second chapter so I wanted to make this one bigger, anyways, enjoy c:

Geoff lifted his head from his hands "Dead?" he asked Jack, more confused than he had been all week.

Jack narrowed his eyes "Yes Geoff dead, I think it's almost 5 years ago? Kerry called us all up, crew got together for the first time in a couple years after you left and we disbanded, he told us you died in a car crash and that Mille and Griffon moved up to New York City"

A lot of things were going through Geoff's mind at that point, some being creative and fun ways to kill Kerry, others being about how the crew had actually met without him, Gavin had been there, Michael, Ray, Ryan, just to hear lies spit from Kerry's mouth.

Before Geoff could respond to the absurdity of the whole thing, Jack continued "Man, Ryan was furious, almost killed Kerry, 'You were supposed to look after him' he kept yelling that over and over, I swear we almost saw Ray in tears, but Gavin, oh man" Jack shook his head, and Geoff wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear the rest of what Jack was about to tell him.

"He tried looking for you man" Jack paused "Your body, I guess, I don't know, he wouldn't accept that you were dead. He took his bike, almost killed himself the same way Kerry told us you did, car crash, he wasn't hurt thank god, but still. He could have been"

"He went looking for me?" Geoff repeated, trying to process everything flying through his mind still.

"Yea, man even after he got a couple stitches in his arm he tried to go but Michael made him stay, if it hadn't been for Vinny man, don't know what Gavin would have done, something reckless and stupid no doubt"

Geoff had to laugh out loud for a minute, it earned a confused glance from Jack "Something funny?" He asked, Geoff, clearly not seeing how the current situation was funny at all.

"Vinny, I forgot we called him that back then"

"Still do, names stick you know" Jack admitted, he got up and walked to the fridge then, grabbing a couple beers "You want one?" He asked Geoff, who declined, he had to drive back to Vinewood, better he not be drunk off his ass.

"Yeah, man we all use to have those names back in the day, what was Ryan's again?" Jack asked Geoff, popping open the beer with a bottle opener.

"James, I think anyways, or Edgar, depends if he was feeling loopeholey or homicidal that day" Geoff chuckled.

"You were Laser right?" Jack asked again, still laughing a bit at recollections of how the name Edgar came to be in the first place.

It had been about 6 years into forming the crew, Ryan's father just bought a farm and some cows, they had all been staying there and one day they just woke up to find Ryan pacing outside a big hole, inside it was a cow, one affectionately named Edgar by Ryan's father. Nobody knew how he was in the hole or why, but Ryan kept muttering 'Edgar is the one in the hole' and 'Edgar is in there to protect you.

Then Michael made some picket signs with Gavin that said "Free Edgar". Ryan's only response to that had been "You don't need to free Edgar, you need to fear Edgar". Cows were somewhat of an inside joke among them now.

Or rather, it used to be an inside joke among them. There was no them anymore.

"I was Laser" Geoff said distractedly, remembering that Jack used to be called Beardo, Ray was brownman because of his hispanic background, and Gavin had simply been Vav.

"Those were good times man" Jack said, taking another sip of the beer, which was looking pretty good to Geoff right about now.

"Speaking of the old days" Geoff said, sitting up straight and clearing his throat, his head still pounding every time he thought about what Jack told him, about Gavin trying to go after a dead man. Or one he thought was dead anyways.

Jack looked at Geoff, eyes his darker "What about them" he asked, his tone suspicious.

"Come find Ryan with me" It was a question. Years and years ago it would have been a demand and Jack wouldn't have questioned it, they were their own people now. Geoff older, Jack harder, even if his life was quieter.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" Jack asked, as he unlocked the doors to his ford. Jack had always been one for trucks, Geoff noted, climbing into the passenger seat.

"Depends on what you think I'm doing" He said innocently, convincing Jack to actually come back into the life might be harder than just getting him to reunite with the old crew.

Jack stopped and looked at Geoff with that are-you-fucking-kidding-me face "You're getting the crew back together" he said simply, backing the truck out of the driveway.

"You know me to well Jack" Geoff sighed exasperatedly, little did Jack know getting the old crew together was the least of his plans.

It took nearly 2 hours to get to Ryan's, and Geoff was beginning to realize he felt a little carsick, all he had been doing the whole day was driving.

"He might not agree to this" Jack warned, stopping at the farmhouse. Geoff ruffled his hand through his hair "Maybe not, man's got kids now"

But Geoff had Mille, to be fair, and hey, he was still in the life. Not that he won the award for best father of the year, he was far from it actually.

Jack was the one to knock on the door. Geoff had been down this road a couple times and knocking on doors? Not his strong suit, unless it was Kerry's.

Ryan's father answered, he was old, 80's probably, with a mop of shaggy grey and white hair and overalls so washed out they were white instead of blue.

Jack leaned against the door, other than safe-housing them, Jack was _real_ good with persuading people and making them lean in his direction.

"Mr. Haywood?" He asked in a polite tone, simple to start it off, then he'd probably start making things complicated, give Mr.Haywood no time to catch up and even less to understand what was really happening before Jack was in the house on the hunt for Ryan.

After the old man nodded in Jack's direction signaling that yes, he was Mr.Haywood and Jack started off .

"I'd was wondering, you've got ambitiously large lands I must add, they should be excellent for farming, anyhow, I was _actually_ wondering where your eldest, no maybe second eldest? Ah what does it matter? I don't even believe he has siblings. Your son Ryan, is he in residence here?"

Jack was like a thunderstorm of fast spoken words, leaning closer and closer to the gap between Mr. Haywood and the door until finally the man blinked a couple times "He-he's out back, you can go through' the house" he mumbled off, moving past to let Geoff and Jack go.

Jack turned around and winked at Geoff as they moved through the farmhouse that looked from a 90's TV show "Lets go get our loophole guy"

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryan was indeed out back, he wore faded out jeans and a navy shirt, two kids were busy running around a massive cornfield to the back of the farm, bees were buzzing around the big sunflowers that stood outside the kitchen window on the patio.

His wife was nowhere to be seen, probably off somewhere else, she might not have even been in the house at the time, Geoff noted that it was probably better that way, she'd pitch a fit if Ryan's two criminal gang friends showed up at his fathers house.

Ryan turned as he heard footsteps approach and lifted his sunglasses to push his blonde hair off his forehead. He blinked through the sun a couple times before recognition set in, and he knew just who he was looking at.

"Kids" He hollered, turning around against "Go play over there for a while, dad's gonna be busy for a few minutes"

His two kids-Geoff couldn't recall their names for anything-scampered off into the cornfield, shrieking and laughing as the tripped over each other. Geoff wondered if Mille would have been having that much fun had she had a brother or sister to play with.

He almost laughed at the thought as Ryan approached, he didn't have the money for one kid, yet alone two. Ryan said nothing, just stared at them for a long time until Jack finally cleared his throat.

"Don't even try that fast-paced-confusion bullshit" Ryan warned, rocking back on his heels "I want to know why the fuck you're here and I want to know now" he demanded.

It was Geoff's turn to speak now, being the one who had the idea to go to Ryan's in the first place "We're getting the old crew back together, it's been, what, seven years? That's way too long man, I've missed you guys" Geoff admitted, scratching the back of his head.

Ryan chewed his lips for a minute and nodded "Ray, Michael, Gav?" He questioned. Geoff frowned "We'll get them after" _Why hasn't he asked about me being "dead"?_ Geoff wondered, staring at Ryan.

Ryan blew out a sigh and shrugged "Fine man, whatever, get the other guys then come get me, we can go out for drinks or something"

Jack nodded and asked for Ryan's new number, which he gave to Jack and Jack only. Geoff was still wondering how Ryan knew he wasn't dead.

As Geoff walked away, Jack had gone ahead to start the car, Ryan grinned and said "I am the tech guy you know, I knew you weren't dead you bastard" Geoff sent him an apologetic look "Kerrys work, not mine, I'm going to skin the little weasel when I catch him"

Ryan laughed and then winked at Geoff before strolling over the the cornfield and calling out to his kids.


	4. Hispanics and gang fights part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always update so much later than I say I will, but what can I say, motivation strikes when motivation strikes. I decided to split this chapter in half just for kicks and also because I just finished the first half and am currently writing the second half, so I want something to put up because it could take me forever to finish the chapter today. It's going to be a long one. Anyways, the introduction of Ray! Enjoy.

Jack requested he follow Geoff to go find Ray. Ryan however, stayed home to presumably trap more cows in holes. Geoff could have expected that outcome, Ryan wouldn't come unless he was positive everything was a go.

Ray was out in sandy shores, about a half an hour drive, nothing compared to the distance from the city to Paleto bay had been to get Jack.

Jack wasn't silent the way he was driving to Ryan's, he was busy talking about his wife, and his life after Geoff left, but soon he ran out of things to talk about and they fell into a comfortable silence. The radio was on some shit Los Santos pop station that kept fuzzing over when they got closer and closer to sandy shores until it eventually switched and some monotone woman was reading off the weather reports.

90% chance of heavy rain, high speed winds and thunderstorms.

"Perfect" Geoff muttered as Jack fell silent, he switched the station off as the truck bumped up and down the sandy road. Geoff had always imagine living in sandy shores to be a complex of having sand in _every_ corner of your house and somehow never being able to get rid of it.

Or, perhaps trailer would be a better word, houses weren't common in Sandy Shores. That being said, he hoped they wouldn't find Ray in a shit-smelling sand infested trailer with beer bottles scattered around and stains on the carpets.

Geoff liked to think Ray was a bit more classy than that, and reading his address, he did look like he wasn't in the middle of a trailer park.

That made Geoff breathe a bit easier.

Jack pulled into a lot, Geoff barely noticing they were there already until there was a sharp shout that couldn't be anybody except for Ray.

The sharp shout was quickly followed by a gunshot, Geoff had no time to react before he heard an explosion and glass rained down around them.

He expected much more than a shattered window and bullet-punctured backseat, but that was the extent of the damage.

Jack let out a yelp but wasted no time leaning over Geoff to the glove compartment "Guns" he muttered, unlocking it and tossing Geoff a shotgun with 9 rounds.

"Only nine rounds?!" He called out to Jack over the noise of gunfire and shouts.

"Take it or leave it princess" Jack shouted back, rounding the house to hide behind a dumpster as he assessed the situation. Geoff figured he would hide on the opposite end of the one-story house painted a dismal tope.

Geoff turned the corner and felt a bullet whip past him. It was alarmingly close, so much that his ears rang and when he reached his hand down he felt the ripped fabric of his jacket, he himself didn't seem to be hurt though.

"Geoff?" Geoff knew that voice anywhere, he blinked open his eyes to see Ray beside him, crouched with a semi-automatic around his shoulder "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Ray then tackled him with a bear hug that was surprising for somebody so small, Geoff could barely breathe. He was about to hug Ray back until he remembered that they were in some sort of shoot out.

"Erm" Geoff tried to wriggle away from Ray "Ray" he coughed, going completely still. Ray seemed to get the message though, because he let go of Geoff and turned around "Right this" He stood up from his position and fired a couple rounds, then ducked back down.

"Look man, I'm really, really happy to see you, and while I've got no shitting idea why you're here, seeing as you're supposed to be 'dead', I'm in the middle of something"

Geoff nodded "Jack told me you all thought I was dead dead, not just 'dead'" Geoff made air quotations.

Ray nodded and flinched as a bullet hit the short brick wall they were hiding behind. He stood up fired another few rounds and ducked back down, _rinse and repeat,_ Geoff thought to himself distractedly.

"Right well, Ryan obviously knew you were alive because he's fuckin' Ryan and, I mean what doens't he know? I'm assuming Jack had no idea, which is weird but hey" Ray shrugged "Guy's been living a quiet life"

"What about the others?" Geoff asked, repeating Ray's motion of standing up, firing and ducking back down, he was pretty sure he clipped some Mexican in a baseball hat too.

"Michael knows you're up and gunning, but Gavin is still in the dark, probably for his own safety"

"Fuck" Geoff slammed his fist against the wall, feeling pain splinter up his hand where the brick bit into his skin.

Ray didn't mention the outburst, just kept firing and talking. "So, what are you doing here in the meantime?" he asked as if they weren't having a gang fight in that very moment.

Geoff took a breath "Trying to get the crew back together for a bit" He lied, again. He wondered how many people he'd have to lie through until they realized that the "for a bit" part was actually a huge-ass lie inspired to make his friends think they weren't in this for the long haul.

"Dude" Ray said, grinning "I'm down, how many you got?"

"Everybody but Michael and Gavin, Jersey for Michael, not sure where Gavin" He admitted, ruffling his hair and shooting another guy in the leg. It was easy when they weren't in front of you. Geoff used to be able to kill without a second's hesitation, now? He wasn't so sure.

Like he said, easy when you can't see their faces or the tears in their eyes, or the blood. It was easy to shoot moving targets.

Ray tried to hide his chuckle but Geoff still caught it "What?" he asked, somewhat confused as to why the prospect of finding Michael and Gavin was the least bit funny. "Nothing" Ray said, clearing his throat and wrapping the strap of the gun around his arm.

It was only then Geoff realized he was wearing a god damn tux "Ray?" He asked, as politely as possible. "Yees?" Ray answered, preoccupied with shooting down gang members.

"Why the bloody fuck are you wearing a tuxedo?" _It's got a fucking rose in the pocket_ , Geoff realized, staring a Ray like he had two heads.

Ray shrugged "Hey man, no judging. Business deal gone wrong". Geoff frowned "Business for what?" Ray grinned like the Cheshire cat "You know" which in Ray's book could mean anything from crystal meth and back.

"You got Jack and Ryan with you?" He asked, inadvertently avoiding the subject sharply. "Just Jack, he's round' the other side of the place" Geoff answered, hearing the gunfire recede. "Lets go find him then" Ray declared, checking to make sure it was all clear before hoping up from his position and loping around the front of his house to the dumpster on the other side.

Thunder clapped just as Geoff got up to follow Ray, feeling the first of many drops of rain fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, if this seems heavily unresolved, it's because it's only part 1 of Hispanics and Gang fights. Jesus Ray gets himself into a lot of shit when left alone.


	5. Hispanics and gang fights part 2 (Final)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of peace between the Ramsey family for once, I was getting sad over how much their relationship seemed to be failing in this story so I fixed it yay! 
> 
> Just don't give yourself false hope of it lasting very long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I predicted that this second half would take a long time, not so. I finished it literally 0.5 seconds after I updated the 4th chapter, I should have made them combined as one but whatever.

The found Jack as he was gunning down a couple more of the gang members, from this close, they looked like kids, no older than Ray. It made Geoff sick to his stomach to realize that he had probably shot some of them down with Ray not two minutes ago.

Jack shot the last guy down and then there was silence except for the sound of curses being spit about and tires screeching down the road. If this had been an old film, Geoff imagined there would have been a "You win this time Narvaez" Thrown in somewhere.

"Ray!" Jack exclaimed, standing up to give the lad a hug, which Ray returned copiously. Geoff felt bad for being so cold with him the first few minutes of their reunion, to be fair, Ray _had_ almost shot him down.

When the two finally stepped back from each other, Jack gave Ray a look and said "What's all this about anyways kid?" and started to walk back towards the truck to stash the guns away.

Ray muttered some gibberish that neither Jack nor Geoff could comprehend. "Louder?" Jack suggested, crossing his arms like a disappointed parent. May as well have been.

"I stole their bikes" Ray said, coughing and kicking the dirt immediately after. Geoff thumped him over the after at this, to which Ray ducked and let out a sharp yelp "Geoff!" He snapped, standing closer to Jack, who in turn, also hit him over the head.

"Are you retarded?" Geoff asked Ray, as Jack went to put the shotguns in the truck. Ray gave an overly dramatic and heavy sigh "Probably"

"Seriously kid, don't steal bikes from gangs. If there is one thing Spanish gang members enjoy more than their play-stations and mommies, it's bikes" Ray laughed a bit at this and just said a slow "Yeaah" and kicked the ground with his broken up shoes again.

"So, you coming along?" Geoff asked him lightly, as Jack returned to them, the engine of the truck humming in the background.

"I guess so man, It'll be great to see Michael and Gav again, and Ryan, him too" Alright, well lets get going, I'd say we head back to my place, too late to drive to Jersey now. You two can crash in the living room"

At this, both Jack and Ray looked at each other awkwardly "Won't Griffon mind?" Ray asked, probably recalling how much she hated when they had to clear away the living room to house the crew.

Hated was probably the wrong word, she had bitched and moaned about it but when it came down to it, Griffon probably loved them as much as Geoff did, she was basically a second, if not only, mother to Ray, Michael and Gavin.

"Nah man, she never cared in the first place, Griff loves you guys" Jack looked a bit doubtful and Ray just shrugged "Whatever you say man, but if she comes after me tooth and nail, I'm blaming you"

"Blame all you want buddy" Geoff said, hoping into the front seat of the truck and condemning Ray to the squishy backseat, but if he cared, he didn't complain about it.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a pleasant drive back in the rain, Jack had the pop station back on, something Geoff hated but wouldn't openly admit to. All Ray did was browse his phone and occasionally pipe into conversation.

The current topic was about where Gavin could be holed up. "Geoff, for all we known, he could be back with his brother in England" Jack pointed out, turning to glance at Geoff before adverting his eyes back onto the darkening road.

_Only 2 miles back to Los Santos now_ , Geoff thought happily. He had had enough driving for the day, and he was sure Jack had too.

"Lets hope not. But if he is, we will find him and convince his scrawny ass back here" When Geoff glanced back Ray was peering up at him through his eyelashes curiously.

Before Geoff could ask, Jack turned around "Ray go back to watching porn on your phone" Ray sighed and went back to his phone, fingers moving rapidly to show he was texting.

_That was a bit strange,_ Geoff admitted to himself, but didn't linger on it, Jack probably didn't want Ray piping in and saying something idiotic.

_One mile..._ "Yeah of course we will Geoff, can't have a reunion without our local fuck up around" Ray let out a bark of laughter and shook his head while Geoff just grinned. Gav really had been the fuck up of the group.

Soon the city loomed upon them and Geoff's house was a mere 10 minutes off the freeway. Geoff was beginning to have second thoughts now, about bringing Jack and Ray into his house.

Sure Griffon loved the guys, but that was 7 years ago before he himself became basically an alcoholic and Griffon became constantly fed up with him. With any luck she would be gone to a movie or out to dinner with Mille.

When Geoff unlocked the door, the first thing he heard was laughter from the kitchen. Then it ceased as the door closed behind the three former criminals.

Griffon rounded the corner then, blonde hair let down around her face, wielding a spatula in her right hand.

It was only then Geoff remember just how long he had been gone for without any contact.

"Where. Have. You. Been" Griffon hissed, and Ray sucked in a breath, presumably expecting the end and knowing it was going to be brutal. Jack just cast his glance down to the floor as if hoping Griffon wouldn't notice them.

But she did, and looked about to raise utter hell when Mille yelled "Uncle Jack!" and flew out of the kitchen in a yellow and pink apron, as she launched herself into Jack's arms, wrapping her own around his big torso.

The fire in Griffon's eyes ceased then, and she let out a defeated sigh and looked at Geoff as Ray and Jack were preoccupied with Mille.

"Don't think I'm not pissed at you" She warned "But I'm going to let it slide this one god damn time"

"Thank you" Geoff said, looking up through his eyelashes at her. She was truely frightening when she wanted to be. "Don't thank me, just get washed up for dinner and bring the two hooligans along, Mille and I made Lasagna"

Geoff smiled as he watched her spin around on her heel and walk back into the kitchen, Mille on her heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Happy Griff and Geoff, like I said though, don't expect it to be everlasting.


	6. Half full

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some last minute mentions of Joelay, enjoy in the meantime, Mavin in the next chapter hopefully

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG OKAY. I have no good excuse other than I just forgot, so anyways this was a filler chapter but I hope I made it interesting enough, the best chapter yet is coming next so, bear with me.

After they all ate, Jack having seconds, then thirds, then fourths, Geoff gathered them all in the living room, while he dialed up Ryan.

"Yeah" Ryan answered, serious as always until you put a controller in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

"Hey Ryan, we got Ray after some uh..." Geoff trailed off, grasping for the right word to sum up 'Massive shoot out with Mexican gang members looking for Ray's head all because he wanted some shiny new bikes' "Implications," he finally decided on, "And we're heading out in the morning to get Michael in Jersey, you want in or still stalling till' Gavin joins?" Geoff pondered

Ryan paused for a minute to mutter something on the other end of the phone "Yeah fuck why not, I'm in but we better find those assholes"

Geoff grinned broadly, "oh trust me we will, we've got you and Kerry after all" Ryan hung up without a goodbye after that, and Geoff took a minute to wonder how Ryan even planned to find his house, he didn't remember giving out any direct address's when they met.

"Fuckin' crazy ass Ryan" Geoff muttered, turning the corner out of the kitchen where everybody was gathered in the living room, Griffon was talking to Jack about his wedding and how he'd been doing meanwhile Mille and Ray had the Wii turned on playing some my little pony game.

"How'd it go?" Jack asked for both himself and Ray, who was far too preoccupied with the game to even realize Geoff had walked back in until he thumped him across the back with his fist.

"Mille?" Geoff asked, nudging Ray with his leg, motioning him to get up and sit over by Jack "We need to have a grown up discussion for a few minutes, you mind taking this into your room?"

Mille scowled, clearly angry at being the only one left out but sauntered into her room anyways, slamming the door behind her.

"Ryan agreed to come down" He said, causing Jack and Ray to let out breaths they'd been holding.

Jack nodded "I was starting to think we wouldn't actually get the bastard down off that farm"

"Well we did, and I'd suggest resting up, that is" Geoff paused and turned towards Griffon "If you don't mind Jack and Ray sleeping out here for a night or two?" He pleaded with her.

Griffon rolled her eyes and stood up "Well we can't exactly kick them out now can we?" Griffon grinned "Yeah they can stay a night or two"

Ray jumped up and followed Griffon into the hallway screaming "I'll get the pillows!"

"You really think we'll be able to find Michael and Gavin? We got the least amount of info on those two dorks, and neither have immediate family to contact, may be tricky" Jack pointed out, wringing his hands together on his lap.

"Trust me, it'll be fine, we'll just follow up on recent store robberies to find Michael and hope to god he knows where Gavin is"

Jack nodded and didn't respond as Ray came back, arms stuffed with pillows and blankets "I call couch!" He piped up, rocketing over the backside of the couch with all the bed clothes and landing in a mass of blankets and pillows. Griffon never came back so Geoff presumed she was keeping Mille occupied.

After Ray and Jack got settled away they opened a case of beer and turned on Geoff's xbox which had gone mostly untouched the past few months, and played some Assassin's creed IV. After Ray had won countless round after round leaving one victory for Geoff and two for Jack they decided to call it a night.

Jack got up to throw away the beer bottles, Ray looked up and apparently seizing the opportunity, turned to Geoff and bit his lip as if thinking hard about something. "Geoff" he finally asked, curiosity in his tone.

"Yees?" Geoff responded, busy sorting away all the controllers and remotes so they didn't get lost in the clutter he now called a living room.

"When you say get the _entire_ crew back, what do you mean exactly?" It was an odd question, six of them was the entire crew, how much more did Ray expect?

"Uhh" Geoff ran his fingers through his hair "Fuck man just the six of us I guess, was there anybody else before?" He tried to think about any other clients or tag-alongs that had stayed more than a week or so with them, and just as he was about to tell Ray he had literally no idea what he was talking about, it all clicked.

Geoff grinned as Ray nodded and gulped "Yeah yeah okay, wasn't sure if you planned to bring anybody else in on this" _He thinks he's being so nonchalant about this_ , Geoff realized, when in fact he was basically sweating bullets trying to recover from what could have been a fatal mistake called Joel Heyman.

See, a while back, they had hired a man named Joel Heyman to help them as a gunman when Gavin was visiting family, a lot had happened in the weekend he was with them at Jack's hideout, including Joel fucking Ray, very loudly, very noticeably in the middle of the night.

Of course the two fucks had tried to play it off and pretended nothing had happened, and while Gavin, Jack and Michael were a bit naive to the fact that their best friend and fellow lad had been screwing a serial killer, himself and Ryan had known all too well what had went down.

And Joel was a serial killer at it's finest, he killed and he was good at killing, he was a fucked up guy with incredible aim and besides he was last resort. Geoff never would have hired him and given him 14% had he realized what would become between him and Ray.

Joel seemed to let go of Ray pretty quickly, he stabbed them all in the back without a moments hesitation or a kiss goodbye, and while he did help them escape from the iron bars that had resulted in his backstabbing, it was a dick move that gave him a month in the hospital for a gunshot wound placed by Geoff himself.

Ray however didn't let go of Joel easily, and had been strung up for a while. Fuck he had even gotten mad at Geoff for shooting the bastard, but what could he expect? They were almost locked away for good all because one asshole wanted more than his agreed upon cut.

Geoff just smirked at Ray, recalling all these memories, and the younger man tried to play it off by calling out to Jack to get him a glass of coke.

"Remember," Geoff called out as he approached his bedroom "8am tomorrow, Jersey, be ready you fucks" he got a laugh from Jack and silence from Ray who was probably deep in thought about his serial killer pal, _whatever_ , Geoff thought, slipping into bed, _let him dream all he wants._


	7. Two birds one stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you read this and get confused, no you didn't miss a chapter and no I didn't fuck up, this is from Gavin's point of view in the short beginning, second half if Geoff again. Sorry Gav 's is so short, I didn't want to reveal too much. Also, for this imagine Los Santos is exactly where Los Angeles is, and everything else is the exact same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the first part of this in class on my iphone, sorry it took me so long to get this updated, I have been literally swamped with schoolwork and have to write numerous essay's and short stories for Writing class, so don't expect daily updates, I'm still not done all that shit. 
> 
> Umm as for shit about the chapter, I decided to split it in two, sort of destroying my "There's totally mavin in the next one lolz omg" sorry bout' that. It will be relieving for you to know though, Gavin makes 2 appearances in this chapter, Michael makes one, and it's in a flashback so yay! 
> 
> (I also decided to use the phrase "Implied motherfucker" thnx to Ryan Haywood, it's a truthfully beautiful phrase)

Gavin leaned forward on the shopping cart, it was barely filled and he only had two more isles to go, god he was bad at grocery shopping.

All he heard around him was the sound of carts scraping across the floor and the sharp twang of jersey accents.

With a sigh of annoyance, Gavin just tipped some cereal into the cart and made for the checkout.

He couldn't keep himself focused on anything anyways, Kerry had called again last night for the first time in five years.

He hadn't answered. Gavin had sworn to never see any of them again after Geoff.

Well.

Not all of them.

\--------------------------------------------------

Geoff woke Ray and Jack up at the asscrack of dawn the next morning.

Ray insisted coffee and huddled himself up in a bundle of blankets while watching re-runs of los santos reality tv.

Jack however got up soundlessly and without a complaint. They had all originally intended to get up at 8, maybe hit the road around 10 after breakfast and xbox for a good couple hours.

Then Ryan happened at 6am.

Nobody had really been expecting him that early, Geoff could remember how early Ryan used to get up before, and he supposed working on a farm was what had influenced that behavior, but for him to show up without any indication at 6am?

Nobody was the least bit impressed with him, and it cut back on breakfast and gaming time, because since he was already on the go, Ryan insisted leaving the second Ray got his lazy Hispanic ass of the sofa.

Jack made no complaints as they grabbed their coats and headed out the door with a swift goodbye from Griffon and a million hugs from Mille, who incidentally had little-to-no idea where they were headed.

Geoff smiled thinking about how happy she'd be to see Gavin again, he had been like a brother or an uncle to Mille when he had lived with them.

All he heard on the way out to the car was Ray moaning and groaning about being tired and having a headache because his stay-up-until-6am-sleep-until-4pm had been chaotically destroyed in the worst way possible.

But Ryan soon shut him up with a smack to the side of the head and demanded they all got in Jack's truck before he whipped out a shotgun. Which in perspective, wasn't unlike Ryan, so they all complied.

Ray and Ryan ended up in the back while Jack and Geoff were in the front, Geoff with a map in hand, a yellow sticky note stuck to the corner.

A few miles down the road Jack pointed at the note "Whats the sticky note for?" He asked, his eyes leaving the road for a second.

Geoff sighed deeply "Kerry rounded up all the info on Michael and Gav for me, I figure we'll need it to find them"

Jack just nodded and took the sticky note off the map and stuck it on the steering wheel "He wasn't wrong about the chrome car, Michael had one in his garage back in the day. I'm a bit surprised about k-mart though" Jack admitted, lifting an eyebrow, "Michael seems too glued to his high horse to hop down and work for a living"

"He's gotta pay the bills somehow, and he's not doing heists, you know how bad he is with a crew unless it's us" Ryan piped up, before returning to his phone, Ray's soft snores could be heard in the silence that followed.

"He _is_ a rather independent kid" Jack said, tilting his head "There's nothing for Gavin but this number. You tried calling it?"

Geoff felt the blood rush to his face, there was no way in hell he'd admit to more than half his crew that he wouldn't call Gavin for fear the number would reach voicemail, or be inactive.

"Not sure, I wanted to surprise the bastard I guess, besides, lets find good old Vinny first"

Ryan snorted at the mention of Vinny, probably remembering the conversation that had occurred while Geoff, Ray, Michael and Gav speeding away from the cops, Michael on the wheel, Gavin having stole shotgun, despite the fact they told him numerous times he was too stupid for Michael to deal with when being the driver.

 

_"Micoo?" Gavin asked, his voice piping up with curiosity._

_"What" Michael snapped, his eyes never tearing away from the road in front of him except for to look in the rear-view mirrors at the whole police force ramming up their buttholes._

_"Does anybody ever call you Vinny Jones?" Gavin asked, his voice loosing its pitch as he tried to surpress a giggle._

_"No?" Michael answered, accelerating the car to put some distance between them and the sirens wailing after them._

_Geoff and Ray sat quiet in the back, waiting for Michael to reach out and beat Gavin in the face with his fists._

_"I think we should start calling you Vinny Jones" Gavin admitted turning back to face the wind-shield._

_Ray and Geoff could see Michael suppress the urge to crash the car and kill them all just so Gavin would die with them._

_"That's okay" he said, to the surprise of everybody in the car._

_"I think you're going to start breathing out of a tube" He retaliated, making Geoff and Ray howl with laughter as Gavin just let out a meek "Oh" and looked out the passenger side window, obviously having lost this battle._

 

Geoff could remember that night as clear as he could remember yesterday.

It had been where Michael's nickname Vinny had come from, all though they all knew he preferred Mogar above anything else.

"Good plan" Jack finally stated, curling his hands tighter around the steering wheel as Geoff took his sticky back.

"Where we headed then? Jersey still?" He asked again, bringing up the GPS in his truck.

"Yeah" Geoff sighed, ruffling a hand through his thick dark hair, it needed to be cut soon.

"How long we looking at?" Ryan asked, probably already knowing but not wanting to sit in complete silence.

Geoff cringed as he saw the amount of kilometers the GPS showed "Roughly forty four hundred" he said quietly, glad Ray wasn't awake to hear how far they had to travel.

"Well fuck me" Ryan spat, leaning his head on the window, presumably to go to sleep, although how he could with the sun blaring down on them, Geoff had no idea.

"That's roughly one day and six hours" Jack told them, earning a suppressed groan from Ryan "Nobody asked Jack" he said, finalizing the conversation, clearly he didn't want to hear how long he'd have to be in a car with Jack, Ray and Geoff for.

"Yeah Jack" Geoff grinned, shutting off the GPS to get on his nerves. 

"Because I know how to get to Jersey by memory alone yeah?" Jack said sarcastically as he reached over and turned the GPS back on, Geoff suspected there was an implied motherfucker in that motion.


	8. Two birds one stone part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as I was writing the second half of this chapter, my computer crashed and I wanted to beat my laptop to pieces, anyways so thats why this is taking so long, I literally did not have the willpower to keep this up after that, but now I am and yeah
> 
> **IMPORTANT FUCKING NOTE FUCKS**
> 
> so ahha i realized how big of a gap 7 years is if the lads are 24, 25, and 26, so I decided to let you know that yes, they were all like 15, 16 and 17 when the crew FIRST STARTED. That means the crew broke up after 2 years (Geoff knew Gavin much, much longer before the crew started by the way) when Michael would have been 19, Gavin 18 and Ray 17, which adds up to their current age, 7 years later aka the present time. I hope this wasn't really, really confusing and I managed to make you understand if you were confused about the whole 7 years being a fucking long time thing

Geoff felt as if he was really going to kill somebody on the way to Jersey.

Everything seemed to irk him, from Jack's annoying preference of radio station despite all the static, to Ray's soft snoring, to Ryan's constant tapping on the screen of his phone.

But it could have been worse, he may have had no headphones to listen to music, and sure no sleep would be attained with what Jack was making them listen to, but on the bright side, they were only 30 minutes away from Jersey.

They hadn't stopped anywhere for more than half an hour during the trip, a couple times to get gas, food and bathroom stops, but other than that it was steady driving with either Ryan or Jack at the wheel. Ray slept 80% of the way there, how he did it was beyond Geoff, but at least he was quiet.

After another couple minutes of tapping, shit music and snoring, Jack pulled the truck over and shut off the ignition "Ryan, you wanna take over for the next half hour? I'm falling asleep" Jack admitted, opening the drivers side and hopping out. Ryan just sighed and pocketed his phone before climbing into the drivers side.

He went to turn the keys, and frowned. Geoff furrowed his eyebrows and watched as Ryan tried to start the old truck over and over again.

"The fuck did you do?" He finally asked Jack, who just shrugged "Nothing, will it not start?"

"No it won't fucking start!" Ryan snapped, clearly just as agitated as Geoff felt, nobody should spend that long in a car. "i don't know what to tell you Ryan" Jack snarled back, leaning forwards to look at the dash, clearly not even Jack knew what he was looking for. "Alright I'll go pop the hood and see if I can fix this, I'll be damned into the darkest pits of hell if I have to stay on the side of the road with you assholes for another second"

After about another half an hour of Ryan pressing the gas and Jack trying to get the truck to start, they finally decided to fuck it all and give up.

"Wanna call a tow truck?" Geoff asked, leaning out the passenger side window to talk to Jack.

Jack and Ryan pulled out their phones, and then shook their heads in defeat "No reception" Jack hissed, pocketing his phone again. Ryan shrugged "We're better off just walking, there's nothing between here and Jersey anyways" he admitted, going around back to get his things.

Geoff, however would much rather die a thousand painful deaths than walk to Jersey, which was still, 30 minutes away in a car, but he wasn't given much choice in the matter, so walk it was, dealing with the other 3 pissed off dipshits would be nothing but a minor inconvenience, or so he hoped.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As it turned out, the walk wasn't as entirely awful as Geoff had originally thought. 

Ray was in a good mood, cracking jokes and making at least himself and Geoff laugh even if Ryan and Jack were simply rotten about the truck. And the good humor kept Geoff in okay spirits, which was probably life saving towards a few of his companions.

It was though, a huge relief, when they finally found a gas station, the lights of the city not far ahead, close enough to be seen if anything. 

Ray and Geoff sat on a bench outside drinking, the _worst_ coffee, in the world, while Jack and Ryan went to dial both a cab, and a tow truck for Jack's truck. 

Ray was swinging his feet back and forth across the pavement as he looked up at Geoff and muttered "Do you think Michael will come back with us?" 

Geoff pursed his lips, while he had no doubt in the word the lad would be happy to see them, he wasn't sure how easily Michael would be uprooted from his life to go back with them to Los Santos.

"He'll be tons happy to see us I know that much" Geoff admitted, focusing on the positive.

"Maybe you guys, not sure about me" Ray sighed, cleaning his glasses before putting them back on his face, the square frames slightly lopsided.

"Why?" Geoff puzzled, going over in his mind, a list of reasons why Michael wouldn't like to see Ray, Geoff had figured he'd like seeing Ray again the most. 

Ray shrugged "Man, after Kerry told us you were uh, dead, Michael started rage quitting it, took out most of his anger on me and Gavin" Ray paused "He said some things that couldn't really be fixed with apologies, and me and Gavin retaliated, it was rough" 

Geoff frowned, unsure what to say, but knowing that Kerry would pay for this shit. 

"That was the last he ever said to me or Gavin" Ray confessed "So I don't really know if there was closure enough to fix what we all said" 

Geoff patted Ray on the back as Ryan and Jack came out to alert them that the cab was here to take them to Michael's apartment complex 

"I'm sure it'll be fine, its been 7 damn years, Michael won't hold this against you" Ray just nodded and followed Jack and Ryan into the cab, Geoff shortly behind them.  


\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cab dropped them off at the apartment building, and sure enough in the open underground parking garage, the first thing to be seen was a chrome adder, spotless with no dents or damage at all.

Ryan laughed at pointed in the way of the adder, Jack grinned and muttered something about 'classic Jones' before they ducked under the parking garage and made their way to the gate that fenced off the stairwell up to the actual complex. 

There was a buzzer on the gate, and Ray approached it first, looking uneasy "6M right?" he asked Jack, who had all Geoff's notes.

"Yup, just press" Jack urged, as Ray hesitantly pressed the button, his hand snapping back as soon as the beep sounded.

"What now" He whispered, just as the gates creaked open, "I hope he was expecting pizza" Jack muttered.

Ryan just shook his head "You think he'll be happier to see us than pizza? We'll be lucky if he doesn't kill us all there and then" they all laughed with Ryan then, knowing very well how pissed Michael would be to have them show up instead of a delivery boy. 

Making their way upstairs required much more stamina than any of them had, he was on the 6th fucking floor for crying out loud, and the damn elevator was broken, of course. 

When they finally reached the 6th floor, Jack was the one to knock on apartment 6M. 

They waited in tense silence until locks clicked and somebody opened the door. Somebody who wasn't Michael, and was a very elderly man, the sounds of Jeopardy coming from inside his apartment. 

Geoff strode to the front when it became apparent that Jack wasn't going to talk "We're looking for a Michael Jones, he doesn't happen to live here does he?" 

The man snickered "Just the type to be comin' round for that kid, no he doesn't live here" 

Geoff frowned and was about to say thank you and leave before the man piped up "Jones lives in 6N, the one diagonal for this one, in case you misunderstood again" The man said, somewhat hostile this time, as he probably didn't need to be interrupted by 4 random idiots who apparently couldn't follow simple instructions. 

"Fucking Kerry" Geoff laughed, and paced over to apartment 6N.

Geoff was still laughing about the mistake on apartment number when they knocked on Michael's door.  Of course the lazy fuck was probably still asleep and wouldn't hear the door, so after waiting a few minutes they just walked right in, not really thinking about what Michael could have been doing at that point to make it very awkward for all parties involved. 

Or rather _who_ he had been doing, because when they walked in, Ray first, Geoff second and both Ryan and Jack deciding to hesitate in the hallway, Ray made a squawking sound and tried to opt out very quickly, shoving Geoff backwards, clearly unable to make any solid words, the sound of a TV in the background explaining why nobody heard them knock. 

"Ray what the fuck man" Geoff asked as he was shoved back into Ryan, one look into the apartment showed Geoff all he needed to see to understand why Ray had been freaking out, and it was because it wasn't only Michael, lacking a severe amount of clothing , in his apartment, it was somebody else who ALSO had no clothes and had been leaned over the breakfast bar in the kitchen. 

"JESUS FUCK" Michael barked, hitting whoever he had been previously very occupied with, and when they looked up, Geoff found himself almost wanting to throw up, because damn the expression "two birds one stone" was so fucking applicable right now.

Ray then jumped in front of Geoff and slammed the door shut, leaving everybody in a shocking silence as they worked through their minds, probably trying to recollect the numbers of good therapists in the Los Santos region. 

Finally, after at least five minutes of silence and trauma, Jack asked "Why the _FUCK_ is Gavin in Jersey?" 

Ryan cleared his throat and looked at Jack as if he was the biggest idiot to ever cross his path "More importantly, _why was Michael fucking Gavin in the ass?!"_


	9. We're back bitches part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woah this one was lightning fast wasn't it, fucking caught bitches off guard with how quick this chapter was updated, anyways hope you enjoy
> 
> **This chapter is from the perspective of Gavin and Michael**

Gavin was almost speechless as the door slammed shut behind who he was certain was Ray, Jack, Ryan and somebody who he was positive was just a figment of his imagination. 

Michael however decided to take his frustration on Gavin as he thumped him on the back with his fist and pulled away to get dressed and go find out what the  _fuck_ was going on here. 

"What the fuck are they doing here?" Gavin squeaked as Michael threw him his jeans and his ' _People like grapes'_  shirt. 

The older lad just shrugged "Stupid shit, who knows, and did you see who I saw?" Michael asked, pausing with his shirt in one hand and his jeans zipper in the other. 

Gavin was caught up for a second before he shook his head "Ray, Jack and Ryan, and Mr. Thomasbee staring out of his door from 6M" 

Michael sighed "Yeah don't mind him, he has nothing better to do than watch you being fucked" Gavin choked a bit at Michael's statement, hoping that it really wasn't true. 

"But yeah you're right, Ray, Ryan, Jack and the old peeping tom over there" Michael rolled his eyes and tugged his shirt on, leaving his hair all ruffled up "Lets go check it out then" he motioned towards the door and swung it open. 

Outside, standing in a circle was, yes Ray, Ryan and Jack, but there was somebody else there and with a quick look Gavin realized there was no way it could have been Mr. Thomasbee as his door was shut and this person was achingly familiar with his tattooed arms and his messy dark hair and ripped up jeans and Gavin felt his heart jump into his throat as his mouth fell open. 

_It has to be some cruel trick,_ he told himself,  _an illusion, something._ But no amount of reasoning would take away the fact that Gavin felt damn ready to cry and that wasn't an urge he felt very often. 

Michael tried to sputter out some words, but nothing would come out except a mauled version of Geoff's name. 

"Gavin" Geoff said, turning towards him, his face looking a bit more worn down, but no older than it had the last time he had seen him. 

"No" Gavin said, shaking his head and backing up, hitting the door before rearranging his route to the hallway where he knew there was a stairway that lead to the parking garage, and Michael's car, which he also knew had a spare set of keys tucked into the top of the trunk, especially for Gavin, who was apparently too dumb and reckless to have his own set of keys. 

So he backed away from the crew, just the same as he had known them to be all those years ago, Jack a bit hairier, Ryan with a bit less hair, Ray with more, and Michael, looking the same as he always had. 

And Geoff. 

Geoff was, he looked, angry, somehow, not at Gavin, just in general, as if he had always been angry and would never cease to be angry. 

Gavin wondered if this is what people who thought they saw ghosts felt like, because it was brutal. 

Far enough away, and with nobody moving, Gavin made a break for it and heard Michael call out his name as he turned a hall and skidded down the stairs, almost killing himself by tripping and cracking his skull. 

Finally he made it to the chrome car and popped the trunk, grabbed the keys, unlocked the doors and slid into the car, locking all the doors and sealing himself behind tinted windows. 

He climbed over to the passenger seat and tucked his knee's to his chest, trying to regain regular breathing patterns but it didn't seem to be working. 

He stayed in silence for a few seconds, nothing but ragged breathing and the pounding in his head to remind him that anything out of the ordinary had just happened, he preferred it that way anyways. 

A hard tap on the window basically made Gavin jump out of his skin, but he calmed down when a familiar face peered down at him through the dark windows. Gavin knew Michael couldn't see him, but it was comforting to know that he knew all of his hiding spots, even if they were as simple as Michael's fucking car. 

So Gavin unlocked the doors and locked them again as soon as Michael slipped in the drivers side and closed the door shut. 

He handed the keys over to the ginger and sighed deeply into his knees, still tucked into his chest "Gavin" Michael said, his voice breaking. 

"Its a trick" Gavin said, staring at the floor below his seat, rocking back and forth gently. 

"Its not" Michael tried to reason, "He's here, he's alive, he's okay" he paused, biting his lip, which in any other circumstance, would have been very appealing to Gavin, but now it was just worrying "And he wants to talk to you" he trailed off, resting his hand on Gavin's shoulder. 

"Not sure if I can" He admitted, hands clenching and unclenching. Michael huffed "You've got to Gav, the man's a wreck, thinks this is his fault" 

"It isn't?" Gavin asked, peering up at Michael. 

"Fuck not it isn't, its fucking Kerry's, I was talking to Geoff" he admitted, letting his hand fall "And he told me he had no idea Kerry told us all he had died" 

"Really?" Gavin asked, as if still unsure whether Michael was being truthful or not. 

"Yeah man, really, I mean come on, do you think Geoff of all people would put you through that for no reason other than to show up 7 years later and unravel everything?" 

Gavin shook his head "No" he said quietly, before uncurling from his tight ball and heard Michael unlock the doors "Come on then, man's got some explaining to do, and we've got some catching up to do" Michael said reassuringly, slipping out of the car and around to Gavin's side to open his door. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay one away from chapter 10!


End file.
